GRENADA

Grenada

CAPITAL
: St. George's

FLAG
: The national flag consists of a red border surrounding a rectangle
divided into two gold and two green triangles. There are seven yellow
stars—three on the upper and three on the lower red border, and one
large star at the apex of the four triangles—representing the six
parishes and the island of Carriacou. A yellow nutmeg is represented on
the hoist triangle.

ANTHEM
: National anthem beginning "Hail Grenada, land of ours, we pledge
ourselves to thee."

MONETARY UNIT
: The East Caribbean dollar (
EC
$) is a paper currency of 100 cents. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25,
and 50 cents, and 1 dollar, and notes of 5, 10, 20, and 100 East Caribbean
dollars.
EC
$1 =
US
$0.3704 (or
US
$1 =
EC
$2.70) as of January 2003.

TOPOGRAPHY

Volcanic in origin, Grenada is very hilly, with the highest peak, Mt.
St. Catherine, in the Central Highlands, rising to 840 m (2,756 ft). The
coastline is indented with many beaches and small bays. Several short
streams cross the terrain. Lake Grand Etang is formed in the crater of a
volcano at 530 m (1,740 ft) above sea level.

FLORA AND FAUNA

The Central Highlands support a wide variety of forest trees and many
types of tropical flowers and shrubs grow throughout the island.
Characteristic wildlife includes the hummingbird, egret, dove, and wild
pigeon; also to be found are armadillo, agouti, and monkeys.

ETHNIC GROUPS

The descendants of former African slaves, together with mixed black and
white racial strains, make up about 95% of the population. The remainder
consists of small groups of Asian (largely Indian) and European descent,
as well as a few Arawak/Carib Amerindians.

LANGUAGES

English is the official and common language. A French-African patois
also is spoken.

RELIGIONS

The dominant religion is Christianity, but religious freedom is provided
for all groups in the constitution. According to a 2002 report, about
64% of the population are Roman Catholic. Other main groups include
Anglicans (22%), Methodists (3%), and Seventh-Day Adventists (3%). Other
Protestant denominations include Presbyterians, Church of God, Baptists,
and Pentecostals. Minority religions are Islam and Baha'i.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

For administrative purposes, the main island is divided into six
parishes and one dependency.

ARMED FORCES

The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF), numbering 650 members, provides
internal defense in Grenada. A special service unit of 80 and a
30-member coast guard is included in this security force. The U.S. army
and coast guard provide training and support to Grenada.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

There is very little dairy farming in Grenada. Most livestock is raised
by individuals for their own use. In 2001 there were an estimated 4,400
head of cattle, 20,000 sheep and goats, and 1,000 donkeys. Some 168,000
poultry were raised to supply local needs.

FISHING

FORESTRY

There are approximately 5,000 hectares (12,300 acres) of forest, about
75% of which is government owned. Since 1957, some 320 hectares (800
acres) of forest, primarily of Honduras mahogany, blue mahoe, and teak,
have been introduced. The Forestry Development Corp. was established in
1979 to develop forest resources and woodworking industries. Imports of
forestry products totaled $5.2 million in 2000.

MINING

There were no reported mining operations in Grenada except for
limestone, sand and gravel, and open-face red gravel deposits for the
local construction industry.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

St. George's University School of Medicine was founded in 1976. A
school of agriculture is located in Mirabeau. The Grenada National
Museum, at St. George's, maintains exhibits on technology and
native fauna and flora.

INSURANCE

There are a number of international firms (mainly UK, US, and Canadian)
and some local interests doing business in Grenada. A full range of life
and non-life insurance is available. There were at least nine insurance
companies operating in Grenada in 2000.

TAXATION

Corporate taxes are levied on net profits at a rate of 30% on the first
US
$50,000 and 40% on the remainder. A debt service levy is payable on
salaries over
US
$12,000 per year at a rate of 10%. VAT ranges from 5% on most services
to 15% on locally manufactured products.

CUSTOMS AND DUTIES

All imports are subject to a general or preferential tariff, as well as
a fixed package tax. Grenada adopted the CARICOM community common
external tariff in 1991, which ranged up to 35% in 2000. Capital
equipment is exempt from tariffs.

DEPENDENCIES

Carriacou (34 sq km/13 sq mi), Petit Martinique, and several other
islands of the Grenadines group are dependencies of Grenada.